Horrible Bosses Review

Let’s just get the most important bit out of the way first shall we? Horrible Bosses is a very funny movie. That’s all you really needed to know wasn’t it? Well, there you have it. If you’re not into the whole analysis thing, feel free to take that free cookie and head on over to the forums to ogle pictures in the Babe Zone. Horrible Bosses is also a very raunchy movie, well deserving of its R-rating, so please, leave the kiddies at home for this one, or send them to another room. In terms of sheer number of good laugh out laugh moments though, I’d put this up there slightly below ‘The Hangover’ for recent comedy gems, although there have been an above average number of exceptional comedies in the past few years, but that’s certainly not something to complain about now is it?

We live at a time in this country where employees are at a distinct disadvantage, and most employers know it. With unemployment rates into the double digits, percent wise, people are taking jobs that normally would be beneath them just to keep grub on the table and lights on in their homes. And with these menial jobs of course, comes the task of having to put up with what are in many cases, unbearable jackasses in middle and upper management.This a struggle that has been going on since time immemorial..

Everyone can relate to the position of these three unfortunate dimwits, stuck in jobs that they would probably hate way less, provided their bosses were not such colossal douchebags. What makes this movie so effective, is just how great a douchebag each particular boss is, and how dimwitted and helpless each of the employees are. Nick Hendricks, played here by Jason Bateman works at a financial firm for Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), a man for whom emotional abuse seems to be like an Olympic event. Kevin Spacey is magnificently over the top in this role in a way that only he can be. He pulls off an utterly effortless smugness here that says “I’m richer than you, I’m smarter than you, and you will lick my boots and like it, bitch…” that really helps pay off the entire movie.

The other two bosses are equally horrible, although in different ways. Colin Farrell plays Bobby Pellitt, the new CEO of a large chemical company he inherits,  although if I wouldn’t have known that going in, and forgot to look at the credits, I would never have guessed it. Pellitt is the boss of Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis), ever since taking over the company from his well loved father, after his untimely death. Pellitt does not care much for his new position, or for the company, except that his new found power gives him a chance to quickly burn through all his father’s money. He is a coke-head, and a severe narcissist, who plans on bleeding the business dry and selling everything off in order to set himself up and rid himself of the hassle of the company once and for all.

Finally there is Jennifer Aniston, who plays Dr. Julia Harris, D.D.S., the boss of Dale Arbus (Charlie Day). She is a ravenous nymphomaniac who makes life hell for the newly engaged Dale, trying at every point of the day to either seduce or blackmail him into giving into her sexual advances. Understandably, when the three buddies meet together at the bar to complain about their bosses, Dale receives the least amount of sympathy. And seriously…. why should they? As a colleague on the site said, for most people, the prospect of being sexually “harassed” by Jennifer Aniston would be reason enough for most people to request double amounts of overtime.

Finally the three of these men can take no more, and decide, in an homage to either Alfred Hitchcock, or Danny Devito, (they can’t quite figure it out themselves) to knock off each other’s bosses. The only trouble is, of course, they haven’t the slightest clue how to go about this. Along the way the illicit the help of a random black man they meet at a dive bar whose initials are M.F Jones (played by Jamie Fox).. And yes, those initials stand for exactly what you think they do. I won’t spoil it too much of how their plot to assassinate their bosses goes, other than to tell you, of course, nothing goes as planned. In the end though, none of that matters. This was a very amusing movie, that did not overstay it’s welcome and was funny enough to warrant a rewatch sometime in the future. All the main characters were likable enough, and all of the bosses were dis-likable enough to make you root for their downfall. That’s all for this review, thanks for reading and be sure to check out the forums.

Horrible Bosses gets a four out of five: GREAT.